US tourist shot dead during Puerto Rico trip to see Bad Bunny concert

A US tourist visiting Puerto Rico for a Bad Bunny concert was shot to death in a notoriously dangerous San Juan neighborhood on Sunday, authorities said.

Kevin Mares, 25, was shot twice while hanging at a popular nightspot in La Perla, a shantytown on the outskirts of Old San Juan, officials said.

Mares, a New Yorker, is believed to have been an innocent bystander when two people nearby started arguing and one pulled out a gun.

He was shot in the abdomen and side, according to NBC 6 South Florida, and was rushed a hospital but died.

At least two others, both La Perla locals, were shot and remain in the hospital.

Mares was in Puerto Rico with three friends to see the popular local rapper perform in a 30-show residency that’s drawn thousands of US tourists to the Caribbean island and US territory.

His shooter remains at large, local police told NBC 6.“We have very little information,” said San Juan detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz.

La Perla has been dogged by a reputation for crime and violence for decades.

It used to be a hotbed for drug dealing, and the danger for outsiders was so severe that police would keep out of the neighborhood and even posted signs advising people not to enter.

And while a massive federal raid in 2011 eased the troubles, danger still persists.

In 2023 two tourists were stabbed after somebody became angry that they were filming in the neighborhood, and in 2024 a Delaware tourist was murdered and set on fire after a drug deal.